Court reserves order on ex-CM Soren’s plea

RANCHI: The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) special court on Wednesday reserved its order on former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s petition seeking permission to participate in the forthcoming budget session of Jharkhand assembly scheduled from February 23.

Advocate general (AG) Rajeev Ranjan, who argued on behalf of Soren in the court, said the order would come on Thursday.

“I sought permission saying earlier on February 3 the same court had provided permission to the former CM to participate in the session on February 5. Apart from this, my submission was earlier Dhullu Mahto and Nalin Soren were granted permission to participate in the assembly while remaining in judicial custody,” Ranjan said.

“I submitted that this is a budget session and money bills will be introduced during this session. After the end of the argument, voting takes place,” he added.

ED’s advocate Zoheb Hussain argued virtually from Delhi. An advocate present in the court said that Hussain opposed the petition saying ‘constitutional right of a person in judicial custody is suspended.’ He said ‘the trial court is not supposed to give any order in this matter’.

“Hussain said that there should be no separate yardstick to grant permission to exercise constitutional right, otherwise a government official in judicial custody may also say that his presence in the office is must as there are important meetings in which he is supposed to take important decisions,” the advocate said.

Soren was arrested on January 31 in a case of money laundering involving illegal business of tribal land in Bargain. Since his arrest he remained in ED remand for 13 days. While remaining in ED, he participated in a trust vote on February 5. Presently he is in judicial remand and wants again to remain present during the assembly session.

There was buzz that Soren will be kept in a camp jail and for this official residence of state minister Badal Patralekh was being prepared. Today, AG Ranjan ruled out the possibility after he came out from the court and termed this information a ‘fake news’ saying ‘notification regarding camp jail was withdrawn on February 16’ and his client has ‘never demanded any special privilege.’ ED officials echoed the same.